New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - Andres Romero closed with rounds of 65 and 68 on Sunday to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans by a single stroke.
Romero, who had completed 16 holes Saturday when play was suspended for the day, returned to birdie 17 and 18 to close out a third-round, seven-under 65.
The Argentine came right back with a four-under 68 on the TPC of Louisiana at Fairfield to get in at 13-under-par 275.
"I was a little bit nervous (while waiting). I tried to spend some time with my friends," said Romero through an interpreter. "After I saw (Peter Lonard) hit his drive, I said, 'Well I have to go to the driving range.' I am very happy to win my first event on the PGA Tour."
With Saturday's weather delay, players remained in their third-round pairings. That led to Romero finishing more than two hours ahead of the final group.
"I had lunch and chatted with some friends in Argentina," said Romero of what he was doing during his wait.
Lonard, who shared second place with Romero after the third round, was in the final group and had the second-best chance to catch the leader.
Lonard closed with a three-under 69, including a bogey on the 17th, to finish alone in second at minus-12. Tim Wilkinson posted a five-under 67 in the final round to take third at 11-under-par 277.
Woody Austin birdied the 13th to gain a share of the lead, but he bogeyed the next to fall one back with four holes to go. Austin parred the next three, then disaster struck at the last.
Needing a birdie to force a playoff, Austin found the left rough off the tee. He advanced his second shot some 16 yards and left it in the rough. Austin dumped his third in the water right of the green and eventually walked off with a double-bogey.
"I was trying to give myself the best chance to make four and the best chance to make four was to get up there with a sand-wedge and pitch it into the green. Unfortunately, I hit it in the thickest rough we had all week," Austin said of his 18th hole.
"Then I choked my guts out...I flat-out choked. I played like a dog the last nine holes. When you're in the lead and you play that poorly for nine holes, you're choking and I'm not afraid to admit it."
Austin shot one-under 71 to share fourth at 10-under-par 178 with Nicholas Thompson (71) and reigning British Open champ Padraig Harrington (69).
Romero burst onto the scene last year at the British Open. He led by two, but closed double-bogey, bogey to finish one shot out of a playoff. He rebounded from that tough loss to earn his first European Tour win in his next start at the Deutsche Bank Players Championship.
In Sunday's final round, Romero birdied the second to move into a share of the lead at 10-under. After dropping a shot on the par-four sixth, he bounced back to birdie the seventh.
The Argentine parred three straight around the turn, before pushing into the top spot for good.
Romero birdied the 11th to get to 11-under. He made it two straight as his approach to the 12th stopped within three feet.
The 26-year-old kicked that in for birdie. He parred three straight from the 13th. Romero moved to 13-under with a three-foot birdie putt on the 16th.
Romero parred his last two holes, then it was off to the clubhouse to wait.
"The key was my birdie on 16. That gave me a lot of confidence," Romero said. "Then I tried to make pars at 17 and 18. I thought that 13-under was a good score."
After Austin was out of the picture, Lonard was the only player with a chance at forcing a playoff. He was two-under for his round after eight with three birdies and a bogey.
Lonard dropped another shot on the 10th, but started to make a move at 11. He birdied the 11th, then sank a 29-footer for birdie on 13 to get within one.
After two pars, Lonard rolled his second to four feet at the short par-four 16th. He sank that short birdie putt for a share of the lead at 13-under.
Lonard's tee shot at the par-three 17th missed right. He pitched to six feet, but missed the par-saving putt.
He found a fairway bunker off the tee at 18 and blasted out with a sand-wedge. His third stopped 40 feet from the hole and he ran his birdie putt past the cup to settle for second.
"All I could get out with was a 59-degree sand-wedge," Lonard said of his second at the last. "It was going to leave me a four- or five-iron in for my third shot, which was going to be tough with a right pin and wind blowing right to left. The right-to-left wind got me with the driver all week and I paid the penalty. That is what the bunker is there for."
Third-round leader John Merrick struggled to a one-over 73 in the final round. He shared seventh place with Tommy Armour III (66) and Tim Petrovic (71) at nine-under-par 279. Marco Dawson and Steve Elkington were one shot further back at minus-eight.
